Fair Winds and a Followin' Sea
by cornishxxxpixie
Summary: SEQUEL to LOVE TRAILS I'm baack! And I am not going to give you a summary out of risk of spoiling the prequel for those who are planning to read it hint hint to all those out there who HAVEN'T. So, there ya go. Hope you enjoy it. xxx Chapter FIVE now up!
1. Dances in the Moonlight

_Hi guys…well here it is! The sequel! I hope you are as excited as I am! I am not going to give you a summary, you'll just have to find out as you go along. So ner! Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the rest of the fic of course. And as the title says: "Fair Winds and a Followin' Sea" to all!_

_So…on with the fic!_

CHAPTER ONE

_Dances in the Moonlight._

Elizabeth pulled away from her new husband and smiled. The priest stood behind them, his hands neatly beside him. As the couple broke apart, the crowd clapped, cheered and whistled. Elizabeth looked over Will's shoulder at Jack, she could swear she saw tears in the pirate's chocolate eyes, but then again perhaps it was a trick of the light.

Will took her arm and the two walked down the aisle to the outside of the church, Jack and Faye walked after them and the crowd stood as the bride passed them.

In her hands Elizabeth held a bouquet of pure white lilies. She looked down on them and smiled. They were so beautiful, so white, so perfect. Once outside the church the crowd formed below the steps as Elizabeth turned around. She took one last look at the lilies before throwing them behind her in one swift movement. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening as the crowd scuffled for the bouquet; but after all, only one person could have it.

Elizabeth turned around to see who had caught the flowers. Before her, Faye smiled widely, sniffing the flowers she held in her hands. She looked at Jack and laughed. Jack looked at Will and Will looked at Elizabeth, all sharing a somewhat awkward silence. Faye, meanwhile, was oblivious looking down on the flowers as if they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

A brief moment passed and Jack cleared his throat. 'Well…the time 'as passed and I mus' finally congratulate the two of yer.'

Jack walked up the steps as the rest of the guests began to disperse to their carriages to ready themselves for the reception in an hour. He placed a quick kiss on Elizabeth's cheek and pulled Will into a hug, whispering something in his ear that made Will laugh heartily. Elizabeth looked curiously over to the two men; obviously Jack had said something highly amusing.

Faye walked to the two and kissed Elizabeth on the cheek, this time it was Elizabeth who whispered something in Faye's ear.

'Nice flowers.' She said with a laugh. 'You know what they say about those who catch the bride's bouquet.'

Faye smiled and nodded. 'And what might that be?' she asked, an eyebrow raised, though fully knowing what Elizabeth referred to.

Elizabeth felt Will slip a hand around her waist and she smiled. She looked up at her new husband and planted a kiss on his lips.

'Save it fer later, you two.' Jack said, breaking the couple apart and smiling toothily. 'I don' wanna 'ave to see you too indulgin' each other ev'ry hour of the day.' He turned to Faye and laughed. 'You 'ave no idea wha' I 'ad ter put up with before I went ter Singapore.'

'I think I can guess.' She smiled at Elizabeth knowingly and suddenly changed the subject. 'Whereabouts is the reception taking place?'

'At the manor.' Elizabeth replied. 'We decided to keep it simple in the garden; though father insisted on calling on a string quartet for the evening.'

'Well,' Will began. 'We had actually better get ready for the reception. It's in less than an hour.'

The other three nodded in agreement as the two couples made their way to their respective carriages and back to the manor to get ready.

* * *

The garden of Swann Manor was extremely impressive, Jack decided. Lanterns were hung up in the trees with candles inside them, providing a warm, orange glow. The sight made Jack smile as the quartet began tuning their instruments, ready for the night ahead. The sun had not fully faded but it was dark enough to see the full effect of the lanterns.

Anamaria had lit incense she had found in her supply of herbs. The incense took Jack back to his memories of The Black Pearl. Anamaria would always burn it on a full moon and special occasions. Jack closed his eyes and took in the smell taking himself back to his memories. Soon he would have his Pearl back again.

As he stood, eyes closed he heard someone walking behind him. Jack did not bother to turn around. Instead he just stood in the quiet of the garden.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' a voice broke the silence that made Jack turn.

Faye stood behind him. He smiled at her and watched as she walked towards him. She was wearing the same dress she had worn for the wedding, but with her hair down she looked completely different.

''Tis.' Jack replied with a smile.

The quartet finished tuning their instruments and began practicing one of their pieces. The music sounded wonderful against the stillness of the rosebushes and trees around the garden.

Faye now stood next to Jack and she rested her head on his shoulder, exhaling deeply.

'What's next, Jack?' Faye asked quietly.

'What d'you mean?' the pirate asked, placing an arm around Faye's shoulder and smelling her hair.

'What's next for us?' Faye lifted her head from his shoulder. 'Where do we go? We surely cannot stay in Port Royale forever.'

To tell the truth, Jack had not thought about what was next. He knew very well that he could not stay at Port Royale out of risk of being sent away again. Where would they go? Would they take the Pearl on another grand adventure on the high seas or settle down in a small seaside town? Jack decided the former was the more logical suggestion, but how would the crew accept Faye into their lives?

'I don' know, love.' Jack replied truthfully. 'I 'ad't though' about it.'

Faye sighed and once again rested her head on the pirate's shoulder. 'I love you, Jack.'

Jack's stomach lurched. He had never had any idea how just three words could hold so much power. Sure, Faye had said it to him before and he back to her, but for some reason it seemed different at this point in time. Collecting his thoughts, Jack smiled at Faye.

'I love you, too.' He replied and suddenly took his hand from her shoulder as he heard a procession of carriages pull up outside the manor. 'Look's like the party 'as arrived.'

Jack saw Elizabeth and Will walking out into the garden, hand-in-hand. They made a perfect couple. As soon as they walked past the quartet, the musicians began playing louder than before. Elizabeth had changed from her wedding garments to a light lilac dress. Her hair was down, tousled around her shoulders and a broad smile was plastered across her face.

The rest of the guests began to arrive. Among them, Jack noticed Irving. He smiled widely at the young man and Irving smiled in return. The two had not really spoken, but Jack was in a good mood, therefore smiling at everyone.

When they saw Jack, a few of the guests – most likely from Elizabeth's side – turned up their noses and whispered secretly amongst themselves. Jack rested eyes on a young boy, perhaps between the age of five and seven. The boy stared at Jack in deep interest and Jack smiled at him kindly. Suddenly a woman, presumably his mother, joined the boy.

'Come on, Daniel. Don't stare it is rude.' She said in a London accent. The woman laid eyes on Jack and shook her head disapprovingly before hurrying her son away from the pirate's eye line.

Jack found this mildly amusing. He would make a point to meet the boy later on in the night. Definitely.

All of a sudden Jack felt himself being grasped by Will and dragged away from Faye. Jack looked back at her and shrugged before being pulled by Will once more.

'What the bloody 'ell are you doin'?' he asked, adjusting his shirt once Will let go of him.

'I want a speech from you.' Will explained. 'The Best Man must always give a speech to the party.'

Jack felt a lump rise in his throat. He was supposed to speak in front of all these disapproving eyes? He would not have minded if they were just his crew, but they weren't. This seemed like the whole population of Port Royale. Jack looked back at Will, and seeing the pleading look in his eyes, consented to his request.

'All righ', mate.' Jack said. 'But I can't be 'eld responsible for the consequences.'

Will laughed and pulled Jack back into the crowd and in front of the band. He told them to shush and turned to the myriad of guests before them.

'Ladies and Gentlemen.' Will called across the crowd. 'We have a speech to hear.'

The crowd cast their eyes to the pirate. Some of them plain-faced, others looks of horror plastered across their faces. Horror that such a respectable couple could be friends with such a scoundrel of a man. The crowd began to whisper behind their hands but Will held up a hand to silence them.

'Listen, this man is one of my best friends and you all shall give him the respect he deserves.' Will said and turned back to Jack. 'They're all yours.'

Will's sentence seemed to make the crowd listen to what Jack had to say. They looked at him with faces of false respect. Although, any respect no matter how false, was better than none.

Jack took in a deep breath and locked eyes with Faye. She, unlike the majority of people before him, had genuine respect in her eyes.

'Good evenin' Ladies an' Gents.' Jack replied. He was determined to stay as himself for this speech. Tell it how he saw things, not how the crowd wanted them to be.

'Now, we all know why we are 'ere so there is no reason for me to repeat the sanctities o' marriage or bore you with the wonderful future this couple 'ave together because I 'ave no doubt tha' all of yer know how wonderful these two people are.' Jack paused. 'Instead, I will tell yer what I love about these two an' why they are so special t' me.'

'So far, I 'ave known these two fer almos' two years. When I came back t' Port Royale at the beginning of this year I 'ad an overwhelmin' feelin' of jealousy in me 'eart when I saw 'ow 'appy these two were together. When I looked at them me 'eart dropped to the soles o' me feet an' all I could think about was 'ow I wanted Elizabeth to meself.'

This sentence seemed to horrify the crowd, but Jack saw Elizabeth smile reassuringly at him, urging him to finish his speech.

'When I left 'ere, I'll not go in ter detail about when, who or why, Will and Elizabeth, in a true example of frien'ship came after me. Whilst in Singapore, me feelin's fer Elizabeth faded when I met the woman of me dreams.' Jack smiled at Faye and she smiled back. Jack could not believe he was telling all of this to complete strangers, but he was off now so why stop?

'Once reunited, I realised 'ow perfect these two were for eachother. I saw the true love they shared when they spoke an' when they touched. I see Will now compared t' when I firs' met 'im. On our firs' meetin' 'e was a bit of a stick. Rather uptight lad 'e was, but now I see 'im with Elizabeth and she 'as made 'is dreams come true.'

'This is an example of true love an' true love lasts a lifetime. I 'ope the sun will shine wherever they go and fair winds an' a followin' sea will carry 'em to wherever they wish to go.' Jack smiled and saw tears in Elizabeth and Will's eyes as they listened to his speech. 'May you two live in peace and 'armony for many years ter come.'

Jack finished his speech and to his surprise the crowd clapped him. Not a curt applause, but a genuine heartfelt clapping of hands. Jack stepped away from the band and Elizabeth rushed over to him, holding up her skirt as to not trip over.

'Jack, that was _beautiful_!' She smiled and pulled him close to her. She hugged him for what seemed an eternity before he muttered something about not being able to breathe and she released him from her grasp.

'I'm glad yer liked it.' He replied with a smile as Faye came over to him.

'I would never have pictured you to say something like that.' Faye said as she came over to Jack and draped an arm around his shoulder. 'It was so heartfelt and sentimental.'

Jack laughed. 'What? Can't a pirate show a bit o' sensitivity?' he asked with a wry smile.

'Of course they can.' Faye replied and pulled Jack closer to her. 'It was just unexpected.'

The band began to play again and Will walked over to the trio. He stood before Faye and held out his hand.

'May I have a dance?' he asked, eyeing Jack.

'She may only dance if I can 'ave a waltz with yer wife.' Jack interjected with a smile. The four began to laugh.

'We have an accord.' Will replied with a small smile and took Faye's hand.

Jack took Elizabeth's hand and led her into the clear space of garden in front of the quartet. The sky was now dark and the lanterns in the trees provided the only light. Jack placed a hand around Elizabeth's waist, his other hand holding her left.

'Jack, I never knew you could dance.' Elizabeth said as the pirate began to move with the music.

The pirate shrugged. 'Neither did I. Come to think of it, I don' think I 'ave ever really tried.'

Jack spun Elizabeth around and she laughed slightly and he pulled her back to him. It seemed Jack, unlike most people, had more balance when he was dancing than when he was walking. Elizabeth looked at Jack and caught him looking over at Faye.

'You really love her, don't you?' Elizabeth looked over at Faye and Will too.

'Aye.' Jack nodded and smiled. 'More than anything or anyone I 'ave come across me 'ole life.'

Elizabeth smiled in adoration. Once upon a time she held nothing but contempt for Jack Sparrow, even after he saved her from drowning, but now, seeing him with love in his kohl-rimmed eyes, Elizabeth knew Jack had changed for the better. No more wenches at Tortuga for this pirate.

Jack noticed Elizabeth smiling and laughed. 'What?' he asked curiously, as they danced to the string quartet.

Elizabeth smiled once more at Jack. 'Nothing; it's just you have changed so much since when I first met you.'

'Changed fer better or fer worse?' Jack asked curiously.

'Definitely for the better.' The Governor's daughter replied with a glimmer in her eye. 'Thank you, Jack.'

'For what?' Jack asked completely nonplussed.

'Everything.'

Jack decided to leave it there. He could tell Elizabeth had said what she needed and there was so great need for an in-depth explanation. The quartet slowed their music down to a stop and Jack let go of Elizabeth and escorted her back to her husband.

'Well, Elizabeth I must say that your husband is a brilliant dancer.' Faye said as Jack took Elizabeth back to them.

'And Jack isn't too bad himself.' Elizabeth smiled at the pirate. 'Really, Jack, I never knew you could dance.'

'I guess I'm full o' surprises, love.' Jack replied. He opened his mouth to say more but was quickly hushed by a soft tugging on his sleeve.

Jack looked down and saw Daniel, the small boy who had been dragged away by his mother before. Jack smiled down at the brown-haired, blue eyed boy.

'Yes?' he asked.

The boy rocked on his heels with his arms behind his back. His innocent face contorted into a sweet and virtuous smile.

'Mother say's you are a pirate.' He replied in a high pitched British voice.

'Aye.' Jack said ruffling the boy's hair. He gestured for Elizabeth, Will and Faye to leave him and do what they wished. There was no point standing around whilst Jack entertained a six year old.

'Aye?' Daniel asked. 'What does that mean?'

Jack knelt down to the boy's level, steadying himself to stop falling backwards. 'It's sorta pirate-speak. Means "yes".'

'Aye!' Daniel repeated it with a wide smile across his face 'Aye! Aye! Captain!'

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the young boy, though his laugh dissipated as once again Daniel's mother came over to wreck their fun.

'Come on, dear.' She tapped her son on the shoulder.

'Aye!' the boy said in agreeance with his mother.

The woman glared at Jack, shooting daggers with her eyes. How dare a man like that talk to my child! She thought to herself.

'Come on, dearest we do not want you getting mixed up with the likes of him.' The woman muttered, turning around and walking off with her son.

'Wha' was that yer said?' Jack asked, of course knowing fully what the woman had muttered to her son.

'I said that was a wonderful speech, Mr. Sparrow.' Daniel's mother smiled curtly and walked back to whom Jack presumed to be her husband.

Jack sighed. Some people would never change their views on pirates of piracy, but what did it matter? He did not need them and they were not his kind of people anyway. He pitied poor Daniel for having such a straight-laced mother to grow up with.

Faye walked back over to Jack and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder for balance, but causing Jack to lose his own slightly.

'Everything all right?' she asked, watching as the woman strode off into the distance.

'Yeah.' Jack replied. 'Some people will ne'er change.'

Faye smiled and patted Jack on the shoulder, urging him to stand up. 'Come on, show me your dancing skills.'

Jack stood and bowed lowly, taking Faye's hand. The two laughed as he led her out onto the clearing. He took her in the right position and she rested her head on Jacks shoulder, shutting her eyes and letting the smell of pirate and the sound of the music flow through her bones with its comforting pleasure.

_(A/N: There ya go, first chapter of the sequel. Credits go to_ **lupusregina**_ for the brilliant idea of getting Faye to catch the bouquet! I love you, mate! Thanks for that! Well there we are! Thanks for reading and make sure you leave some nifty reviews.  
Em)_


	2. Mr Brown

CHAPTER TWO

_Mr. Brown_

Will shielded the sun from his eyes as it filtered through the light curtains. The Blacksmith sighed and buried his head in the pillow beside him and groaned. Did he really _have_ to get up? Was it _completely_ necessary? The answer to both questions was yes. Today was his first day back at his old job. He would once again return to the Blacksmith's shop to work for the infamous and perpetually drunk Mr. Brown. Elizabeth had said that he did not have to go back to his old profession and that her father had offered him a position in the Navy.

Will could not think of anything worse than being under the command of Commodore Norrington. Especially after the way he had treated Elizabeth the last time they had seen eachother. The man, as far as Will was concerned, was a inconsiderate and treated women with utmost contempt.

The Blacksmith stood up out of his bed and inspected himself in the mirror on the opposite wall. Despite last night he looked relatively unchanged despite the fact that his hair was in a messy birds-nest, actually, Will would not be surprised if a bird actually flew out of it. His eyes were reddened with dark circles under them from lack of sleep or excess of drink, Will could not choose. No matter what it was, Will was intent on not repeating it out of risk of waking up with yet another sore head.

Will walked to his cupboard and opened it, pulling out a calico shirt and brown moleskin pants. Will looked briefly back at his bed and noticed for the first time, that Elizabeth was not there. He shrugged, she was probably down having breakfast already. Will discarded his previous garments and replaced them with his fresh ones.

After lacing up his boots Will walked to the door and opened it. He walked out of the room and heard the door slam behind him. He cringed. It seemed that any noise, no matter how loud or soft, wreaked havoc upon his eardrums. Once again, Jack's happy drinking games were to blame.

Will could hear voices from the dining room. The voices of two women and a pirate and a few others he was yet to recognise. Guessing he had better be a small bit sociable, Will walked down the staircase and to the dining room. Sitting at the long table was Jack, Faye, Elizabeth, Irving and Anamaria. They all smiled at him as he entered, but all Will could do was manage a small wave.

'Good Mornin', boy!' Jack said cheerily in a voice that hurt Will's head. Jack, observing Will's discomfort, couldn't help but smile. 'Sore head? Well, that'll teach yer t' drink so much!'

Will's response was nothing but a nonchalant grunt as he took a seat next to Elizabeth. Elizabeth, Will noticed, was stifling some laughter herself.

'It's all right for you to laugh,' Will said, turning to her. 'You weren't in the company of a pirate for the night. Remind me never to go out in the company of Jack again.'

Elizabeth nodded and sipped some of her drink. 'I shall.' She replied sarcastically. 'Are you working today?' she asked, changing the subject completely.

'Unfortunately.' Will replied as he took a piece of toasted bread off a platter in the center of the table.

'That's a shame.' Elizabeth replied. 'I was hoping to have the day with my husband.'

That sentence hit Will like a mallet to the back of the head. He was _married_. He looked at Elizabeth and suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of love towards her. Sitting next to him was his wife…his _wife_.

Will found himself putting his arm around Elizabeth. She looked at him and smiled sweetly before turning back to Jack who seemed to be yet again off on another tangent.

'Jack, slow down. What were you saying?' Will asked, only just starting to listen to the pirate.

Jack gave a low grown but spoke anyway. 'I was _sayin'_,' he began 'Are ya goin' back t' the Blacksmiths t'day?'

Will nodded. As much as it pained him to say it, he was actually looking forward to having his life back to normal. This past two years had been both rewarding and challenging. He had gained friends, as well as lost them. Though it seemed the ones he lost he did not care for anyway.

'You know,' Irving suddenly said from beside Anamaria. 'I've always wanted to try my hand at being a blacksmith.'

Will smiled. Finally s_omeone_ was taking interest in his line of work. 'Is that so?' he asked. 'Well, you should come around one day and I'll show you.'

At this, Irving beamed, his tanned face lighting up with joy. 'Thanks, Will.' He said jovially, reaching for a crystal jug of orange juice.

Will looked over at the grandfather clock against the opposite wall and immediately stood up. It was time to go, and he was already late to start with. Will kissed Elizabeth goodbye and hurried out of the room without another word to anyone.

Will made his way to the door and opened it, revealing a startling bright light to his bloodshot eyes. Will placed a hand above his brow to shield himself from the sun and continued walking down the path and out of the wrought iron gate.

Port Royale was bustling with people, some of whom who stopped Will and congratulated him on his marriage to the governor's daughter. Will smiled kindly at the people no matter how desperate he was to get to his work.

Finally, and not a moment too late, he arrived and opened the door slowly. The old hinges creaked as he walked in. His donkey brayed, though Will could not see it. The blacksmith's shop was dark and noiseless, not even the sounds of Mr. Brown could be heard.

* * *

'Come _on_!' Jack called through the door. 'D'you wanna take _any_ longer?'

'Coming!' Faye's voice called through the door.

Jack could hear a frantic haste from behind the door. Why couldn't he just wait _in_ the room? Oh, yes, because it was considered improper. Jack had seen grown women change their clothes all his life, he honestly did not see why this was a problem. Faye did not mind in the slightest if he was in there, but due to Governor Swann and his _morals _Jack was stuck on the other side of the door.

Damn morals.

At last Faye opened the door and she emerged wearing a long emerald skirt and white blouse. Jack smiled and held out his arm for her. She took it in a courtly gesture and began walking down the staircase.

'Where are we going?' Faye asked as they descended the stairs.

Jack shrugged. 'I 'ave no idea, luv. Jus' take a walk aroun' the town.'

Faye nodded and smiled at Jack, stepping off the last step. Once they had walked out of the manor, Faye breathed in the fresh air and smiled. Her head was nowhere near as sore as Will's or anyone else's. She was in high-spirits ever since the wedding had begun and intended to stay that way. Suddenly she realised she had a huge smile plastered across her face. She quickly relaxed her lips and laughed to herself.

'Keep smilin'.' Said Jack, who had obviously noticed. 'It suits you.'

Faye laughed and smiled once more. They were now out of the gates of the manor and free from all restrictions that the manor placed on them.

People had long given up on staring at Jack and just walked past him without a second glance. Jack liked it; finally he blended in. Suddenly, Faye stopped him outside a building. The sign swung above the door.

_Huang's Fine Cantonese Cuisine_

_From North to South_

_Best Chinese in Port Royale._

_(Actually…_only_ Chinese in Port Royale.)_

'Shall we have a look?' Faye asked, leading Jack toward the door as if he had no choice.

Jack shrugged. He couldn't see why not. He let Faye lead him through the door.

The building smelt of incense, Chinese food and general…well…_China_. Jack had only been to China once before, but he would never forget the smell. It was a concoction of animals, people and food; a scent unique to China and China alone. Round tables were set up around the room, each with at least two seats at them. Jack could see quite a number of people in the restaurant, each of them heartily eating the food in front of them.

Suddenly, a small Chinese woman ran over to Jack and Faye. She smiled and wiped her hands on her apron.

'Welcome.' She said, obviously this woman was not used to speaking to English. Her L's and W's sounded like R's and her M's sounded like nothing at all.

Jack smiled kindly at her and looked around the small restaurant. 'Could we 'ave a table, please?' he asked politely.

The Chinese woman nodded quickly and scurried over to an empty table. She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket along with a lead. She smiled at the couple.

'Would you like to order?' she asked in practiced English.

Jack nodded and looked at Faye who shrugged. 'What woul' you recommen'?'

She nodded and scurried off to the kitchen, obviously happy to serve them. Jack looked after her and shook his head. He did not understand how someone could be so willing to serve others. If he were in her shoes he would tell the customers to bugger off and fetch it themselves.

'This is interesting.' Faye stated, looking around the room. 'I have never been to China before.'

'Well, it is a good country…though it does smell and there are 'omeless an' 'ungry people ev'rywhere.' Jack shrugged. 'Goin' there kinda made me grateful for what I 'ave.'

Faye smiled. 'I would still love to go there.' She replied with a dreamy look in her eyes. 'I love the idea of travelling to other countries.'

Before the pair could continue their conversation, the same Chinese woman came out with a steaming pot. Jack looked at it questioningly when she opened the lid, but did not say anything. Instead, he smiled thankfully and picked up his chopsticks.

'What is it?' Faye asked, looking into the pot.

Jack pulled a face. 'Beats me.'

Jack though he may as well try it. So, he readied his chopsticks and picked one of the questionable substances up. Jack pushed a small plate in front of himself and dropped the…thing…on it. When it came in contact with the ceramic it made a horrible squelching sound.

The food was a tan colour. It resembled…well Jack had no idea _what_ it resembled. Put when poked it jiggled continuously for a few seconds before turning back into it's sloppy self. Jack took one chopstick in each hand and slowly dissected it. Inside it was hollow and somewhat…shall we say…juicy. Jack pulled yet another slightly disgusted face and looked at Faye.

'I am not eating tha'!' he said, poking it with his chopsticks once more.

'Oh yes you are!' Faye replied. 'You eat it and I will too.'

'Fine.' Jack consented and waited for Faye to choose her 'squishy' from the pot. 'On the coun' o' three.'

'One…' Jack held the thing to his lips. 'Two…' Faye did the same. 'Three!'

Jack closed his eyes and dare not breath. He felt the thing in his mouth, sliding each and every way. He tried to swallow it but it was too slippery. He looked at Faye, only to see her laughing hysterically at him _without_ a 'squishy' in her mouth.

Jack reached for a glass of water and washed the food down. Faye was still in hysterics, holding the squishy in her chopsticks, its sloppy body swaying from side to side. The very motion of it made Jack feel ill.

Before he knew it, Jack could feel bile at the back of his throat. Not wasting a second he darted from his chair and out the door. He doubled over and felt his stomach wretch. Jack leant his hand against the wall and waited for another wave of dizziness to overcome him. He turned away from the wall and saw the ocean. The _ocean_! Jack sprinted to the docks and hung his head over the wharf, vomiting into the ocean the final remnants of the half-digested Chinese delicacy. He exhaled deeply and noticed people staring at him, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting that disgusting food _out_ of him.

Jack felt a hand on his back and turned around to see Faye's smiling face.

'Are you all right? You darted out of there like a man on fire.' She asked, concerned.

Jack nodded. 'I am now. I swear, tha' thing was the mos' disgustin' thing I 'ave ever eaten!'

Faye laughed and patted him on the back. 'Come on, let's get you cleaned up.'

* * *

Will hummed a soft tune to himself as he went about his blacksmith duties. It was so quiet without Mr. Brown's drunken snoring. Will was slightly concerned for the man, since he had known him he had snored during his sleep. The Blacksmith slowly set his work aside and walked toward his 'master'. Will crouched down on his haunches and poked him softly in the chest. Nothing happened. He tried saying his name…nothing happened. Will was beginning to get worried, so he breathed in deeply.

'Wake up!' he yelled in the old man's ear.

Nothing.

Will bent down again and grasped the old man's wrist, checking for the soft beat of a pulse.

Nothing.

Will cursed and wondered what in the world he should do. Before he could think of anything an overwhelming feeling of sadness enveloped him. True, he had never been particularly close to Mr. Brown, but he had known him for almost all his life. The man had sat in that same chair, hardly speaking and merely grunting for most of his life, but now he was dead…dead as can be. Will felt a small tear fall down his face, but he ignored it. He had often thought about how he would react upon Mr. Brown dying, he had imaged himself to be emotionless and quiet; not really feeling any amount of sadness at all, but he was wrong.

Wrong.

Will sighed. He had to do something. Who would be report it to? Norrington? Surely not, then again, Norrington was the only person he could think of telling. Will did not know any doctors in Port Royale and was not about to go on a trek for one. Will looked at his master and noticed that his eyes were open. He placed his hands over the mans eyes and shut them, allowing him some dignity in his last hour.

The Blacksmith stood and walked out of the workshop. He could see a group of re-coats loitering by the docks. He sighed and walked over to them.

'Excuse me.' Will began with a small smile. 'I have something to report.'

One of the red-coats turned around. Will later recognised him as Murtogg. His chubby-face stared back at Will.

'And?' he asked lightly impatiently.

How would he say it? Mr. Brown has passed on? He has left us? He has joined the angels? Pushing up daisies? Will could not find a delicate way to say it.

'Mr. Brown is dead.' Will laughed inside at his own stupidity. He could have come up with a more eloquent way of putting the situation. Then again, he was _dead._

Murtogg raised his eyebrows and stood to attention. 'Dead? As in…not breathing?'

Will rolled his eyes. 'Yes, _dead_! What other ways are there of being dead? You are either dead or not!'

Murtogg nodded and motioned to his partner, Mullroy. Mullroy nodded and followed Will and Murtogg into the Blacksmiths.

Silence met the group, stark and disturbing silence. Will could feel his ears ringing with a high pitched noise and hear his heart beat loud and clear. The two red-coats went over to the deceased man and lifted him up, one at his hands, the other holding his ankles. Will had no idea what they were going to do with him, and for some reason did not want to know. He sighed, assuming there would be a funeral in a few days time…not that many people would attend, but Will would make a point of going.

Suddenly Will thought of something. He could not possibly manage the Blacksmith's on his own. Sure, he had done fine without much help from Mr. Brown, but the old man had had his uses. He would often take orders from those interested and sometimes, if Will was lucky, he would even clean the place moderately well. He needed someone to help him with his work, even if they would just feed the donkey once in a while. Will had an idea.

Irving.

Irving had expressed a keen interest in the Blacksmith trade this morning, it was as if their partnership was meant to be, as if they were actually supposed to work together. Irving was a nice enough young man and the fact that he had befriended Elizabeth in her hour of need was enough to make Will like him anyway.

The Blacksmith fetched some hay for his donkey as well as some fresh water. Will patted him on the neck and the animal brayed pleasantly. He smiled at the donkey and left him to his food, walking out of the blacksmiths shop.

* * *

Elizabeth pushed hard on the ivory key of her piano. She shut her eyes and tried again. Elizabeth sighed and stood up, looking at Irving.

'A little higher.' She said, sitting back down. 'So far it's playing a B Flat not a C'

Irving nodded and ducked back down to the strings of the piano. The two had been spending the past hour and a half trying to tune Elizabeth's piano. They had lifted the lid and so far had successfully tuned half of the instrument. Irving resurfaced, his long hair disheveled about his face.

'Try it now.' He said, watching her play the note once more. To tell the truth, Irving could not tell the difference, but obviously there was one because Elizabeth winced once more.

'Too high…try a little lower.' She sighed. 'I'm sorry about this Irving. There's probably a hundred other things you'd rather be doing now.'

Irving twisted the string a little more and smiled to himself. 'Not really; I haven't anything to do anyway and, besides, your music is nice to listen to. Try now.'

Elizabeth played the note and smiled. 'That's it!' she exclaimed. 'Gosh, I can't believe how out of tune my piano has gotten since I have been away.'

'Well, next one.' Irving said, moving along to the next string and ready to tune it again.

Elizabeth played the note and smiled once more. 'This one doesn't need tuning.' She replied. 'It's fine.'

Irving was relieved, one less string to pull or loosen.

Suddenly, someone at the door interrupted the two.

'Will!' Elizabeth stood from her piano stood and walked over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. She stood back and looked at him, he seemed so quiet and out of place. 'Are you all right?'

Will sighed and looked at her with sorry eyes. 'Mr. Brown has died. I found him about an hour ago.'

'Oh, Will, I am so sorry.' Elizabeth pulled him to her once again and ran a hand through his loose hair. She knew he had never particularly liked the man, but Will had known him almost his whole life.

Will rested his head on her shoulder and looked up, noticing Irving. A small smile crept upon his lips. Will broke away from Elizabeth and walked over to Irving.

'I am sorry for your loss, Will.' Irving said apologetically, standing from his crouched position over the piano. 'I truly am.'

'Thank you, Irving.' Will replied. 'But some good has come out of this.'

'What is that?' Irving queried quizzically, he had no idea what kind of good could come out of someone dying.

'You have a job.' Will replied with a small smile.

'What do you mean?' Irving asked, flicking some hair from his eyes.

'I want you to work with me at the Blacksmith's. I need someone to help me, I cannot possibly do it alone.'

'Are you sure?' Irving asked. 'I mean, I have no experience whatsoever.'

'It doesn't matter. When I started I didn't know anything about making swords either.' Will replied.

Irving smiled. Finally he would have someone to work for. So far his life had been full of gambling and stealing bread from the local bakers. Now, he would work for his money and have something to show for it.

'Thanks, Will.' Irving took his hand and shook his vigorously.

'You're welcome.' Will smiled. 'We shall not start until next week. Best to start on a Monday I believe.'

Irving nodded and walked out of the library. He turned back to face Elizabeth. 'Do you mind if we finish your piano tomorrow? I am a little deaf after getting the full force of the noise all afternoon.'

Elizabeth laughed. 'Not at all, that is fine. Go and take a walk.'

Irving smiled and hurried out of the room. Elizabeth heard the front door open and close as Irving hurried out into Port Royale.

'That was really kind of you, you know.' Elizabeth said with a smile and she packed up her sheet music and put the lid down on the piano. 'Irving has been talking about the Blacksmith's all day. He's been saying what a great job it would be and everything.'

'Really?' Will inquired. 'Well, I have no doubt that he will enjoy it.'

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as the front door slammed shut. Surely Irving couldn't be back so soon. Elizabeth left Will and walked out, only to see Jack and Faye walking into the Manor.

'Jack! Shush!' Faye said, laughing as Jack picked her up and swung her over his shoulders.

Upon seeing Elizabeth, Jack lowered Faye to the ground and smiled. ' 'ello, luv.' He said with smile.

'Hello Jack. Had a good day I see?' Elizabeth laughed at Faye as she tried to stop Jack picking her up once more.

'Yes!' Jack exclaimed.

'Honestly, Jack, I am beginning to wonder what that Chinese food has done to you.' Faye said with a small smile.

Elizabeth observed them. 'Perhaps it was an aphrodisiac, Faye?' Elizabeth suggested with a small laugh.

'I certainly hope not.' Faye replied, now almost hysterical with laughter.

'What's tha' s'posed t' mean?' Jack asked standoffishly. 'Am I not good enough for yer?'

Faye laughed and slapped him on the arm. 'Of course you are, of course.'

Elizabeth laughed at the two and left them, walking back into the library to Will. Will was sitting by the fireplace even though there was no fire in it. He once again had a solemn look on his face. Elizabeth crossed the room and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

'What's wrong now?' she asked, closing her eyes softly.

'I don't know. I have no idea why I am so upset about his death. He never really helped me overmuch.' Will said, he too closing his eyes.

'Well, I guess you don't really realize how much someone means to you until they leave you.' Elizabeth said, opening her eyes and looking at Will.

'I guess you are right. He was like a father to me. A drunken and useless father, but a father nonetheless.' Will laughed slightly at this last part.

Elizabeth smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek. 'I love you, Mr. Turner.'

'I love you too, _Mrs_. Turner.' Will smiled and placed an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder.

_(A/N: Well, there! And yes, I know it has taken me AGES to write this, but it's here now so review review review. Um, just a bit of trivia. The odd Chinese food Jack eats actually does exist. While I was in China a friend of mine ate it…I was going to, but, like Faye, started laughing before I could. Apparently it's a relative of tofu…made out of cornflour or something, but it is soooo disgusting that I just HAD to put it in here. Em)_


	3. Dead or Alive

CHAPTER THREE

_Dead or Alive_

Port Royale was a nice place, Anamaria decided. It took her mind to places it had never been before. It allowed her to sort out her emotions and feelings regarding many people. One of these people was a certain pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow. Anamaria knew she should not be thinking such thoughts, but it was one of those things she could not deny herself. Her dreams had been full of images of Jack's face, his touch and his voice. Each time she awoke she wished to go back to her dreams, just to live in a world where she was loved, not the reality.

Throughout her life, Anamaria had never really loved. She had loved people as friends, but never _loved_ someone any more than a one-night fling. Ana had never actually thought about her loveless life before, but now in Port Royale and surrounded by Will and Elizabeth and Jack and Faye, she found herself down and out without anyone to love and without anyone to love her back.

So now, here she was walking alone through the streets. Perhaps she would find someone at Port Royale to love, though she doubted it extremely. Anamaria had never believed in love at first sight and did not intend to start believing in anything of that nature at all. Some people believed in serendipity and fate, but none of that was for Ana, at least, she didn't _think_ it was for her.

Anamaria continued to walk passing a few shops as she did so. The weather was sunny and the rays beat down on her brown skin. She loved the sun; it reminded her of being out on the ocean, free as a bird and without a care in the world. Ana looked around the streets; it seemed that most, if not all, of the shops, cafes or other buildings present had a rather large piece of paper stuck on their windows. Taken up by curiosity, Anamaria ventured closer to look at one of the leaflets.

The paper, it seemed, was a wanted poster of some kind. Ana squinted her eyes and read the text:

_WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.  
Handsome reward for whomever finds this fiend, man woman or child.  
__This fiend is wanted for the heinous crime of murder without intent of provocation.  
__If seen, report to local authorities immediately. _

It was not so much the content of the paper that shocked Ana, no, she had seen plenty wanted posters in her time. It was the photograph that went with it. Staring back at her from the paper was a face she recognised. Faye's eyes locked with hers from the photograph and Anamaria gasped. Faye was wanted for _murder_? Jack nor Faye had never told her this, mind you, it hadn't exactly come up in conversation.

Anamaria swiped the poster from the wall and folded it, placing it into her pocket. The Pirate quickly jogged back to Swann Manor, somewhat eager to give the news, somewhat dreading their reaction.

* * *

Jack smiled as he rolled over to face Faye. The sun filtered through the windows, and, but Jack's approximation, it was about midday. As he turned Jack noticed that Faye was not in fact next to him, but sitting by the looking glass combing her dark hair.

'Well, good afternoon.' Faye said to Jack sarcastically as she ran the comb through her hair. 'Nice to see you decided to grace me with your presence.'

Jack laughed lightly and sat up, stretching his arms out behind him. 'Is it really tha' late?'

Faye nodded, her long hair ripping across her shoulders and crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed. She flicked some hair from her eyes and smiled. 'So, what are we to do today?'

The Pirate shrugged and once again stretched his arms. 'We could just stay here for the day…enjoy each other's company.'

Faye nodded. 'I think that sounds like a brilliant idea.' She smiled and kissed him softly

* * *

Anamaria burst through the doors of Swann Manor and took the staircase two at a time. She guessed which room the duo was in and, without bothering to knock, opened the door hastily.

Anamaria had to blink twice. It seemed she had walked in at the most inopportune moment. Jack and Faye were caught in a highly compromising position atop the four-poster. Ana cleared her throat nervously and sighed.

Jack looked up, brushing his disheveled braids from his eyes. 'Oh, sorry Ana, didn' see yer there.'

'Obviously.' Anamaria muttered under her breath.

'Wha' was that?' Jack asked and he began to stand up.

'Nothing.' Ana replied quietly. She looked at Faye who blushed slightly and stood up with Jack.

'Why are you 'ere anyway?' Jack asked curiously, crossing the room toward Ana.

'I-I found something.' Anamaria stammered. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the neatly folded paper. She unfolded it and handed it to Jack, Faye reading over his shoulder.

It took a few moments for the poster to actually make its way into their minds. Jack looked at the photograph, then at Faye and back to the paper again. Faye raised a hand instinctively to her mouth and gasped silently, quickly running past Ana and out of the room without a word to Jack or Anamaria.

'Where did you fin' this?' Jack asked gruffly, looking back at the paper once more.

'On a shop window.' Ana replied honestly. 'I thought it best to bring it to you before it is too late.'

Jack nodded, still deeply scrutinizing the paper as if it held some hidden answers within its parchment. 'Well, thanks luv.' Jack folded the poster and placed it in his pocket, beginning to walk past Ana. 'I'm goin' to talk t' Faye.'

'I wouldn't.' Ana replied. 'I think she needs time alone.'

Jack shrugged. 'I need t' talk t' 'er.' Jack said, walking past Ana despite her objections.

Anamaria opened her mouth to object but silenced herself. There was no point trying to stop Jack from doing something, once he had his mind set on a task, he would not let anyone or anything get in his way. Ana sighed and closed her eyes.

When she had walked in on Faye and Jack an overwhelming feeling of jealousy spread through her body. She had never disliked any of the other wayfaring wenches that Jack had picked up on his exploits through Tortuga and other ports, but it seemed that he and Faye shared some deeper connection that no one could explain. Once again, Ana was left out of the picture with no man to call her own and no shoulders to cry upon.

All her life as a pirate, Ana had befriended men. She would beat them in poker and join in on their drinking games. Her tequila would be drowned in milliseconds as oppose to the usual double time the men took to drink their liquor. The males would swagger home with distorted views whilst Anamaria was able to walk home aware and relatively lucid. The men regarded her as a companion willing to best them in an arm wrestle. She was never regarded as a romantic interest. Ana did not mind this at the time, in fact she enjoyed the rapport she had with men, but now she wished she had someone to come home to.

Anamaria opened her eyes once more and was back to her harsh reality. Elizabeth and Will were a happily married couple, Jack and Faye were completely sound, despite the fact of Faye being headhunted, and it seemed that everyone else in Port Royale was happy with the way their lives were going. It seemed that everyone had turned his or her lives for the better.

All except Anamaria.

Her mind flashed back to the night that the unknown man had assaulted her. His scent was still fresh in her mind and his harsh, unforgiving touch still left marks upon her memories. That was the one real time a man had wanted her; true, she had not been wanted under the most desirable circumstances, but she had been wanted nevertheless. Then, when Will had come to help her, she had once had a shoulder to cry on. During their brief sharing of feelings and emotion Ana had somewhat wished that Will was hers. Why was it whenever she felt for a man the feelings were not returned? The feeling of security she had felt in Will's arms as she protected her from the harsh word had still stayed with her. Whenever she laid eyes upon the blacksmith her mind flashed back to that night and his incomparable kindness.

There was one man, however, that Ana had hardly spoken to. Irving had done a brilliant job of keeping himself seemingly invisible since the group had been reunited at Port Royale. Ana had never had the time to have a conversation, and now with him being occupied at the blacksmith's with Will. Anamaria doubted that she would ever get to know him at all. Alas, some things were meant to remain undiscovered and some people were never meant to find the person they were meant for.

* * *

Jack slowly entered the library. The sun filtered through the Indian-cotton curtains. Faye sat in a plush armchair, staring off into the distance with glassy, unfocused eyes. The pirate sighed and made his way toward her, taking a seat on the arm of the chair, steadying himself slightly to stop toppling off onto the floor.

'Are you a'right?' Jack asked. As soon as he said it Jack realised that it was a stupid question. Of course she was not all right.

'What do _you_ think, Jack?' Faye retorted savagely, not bothering to even look at him. 'I have my picture plastered across every shop window in Port Royale and no doubt in countless other places. How you do you _think_ I am feeling?'

Jack sighed; there was no answer for her question and no reply to her statement. Jack simply placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, hoping for her to not push him away.

And she didn't.

Instead of brushing Jack's hand aside, Faye leant into him, letting the tears she had kept in all this time, fall free onto Jack's jacket. She sobbed quietly as the pirate wrapped his arms around her in a gesture of sorrow and remorse.

'Sssh.' Jack cooed quietly as he held Faye. 'It'll be all righ', I promise.'

Faye lifted her tear-streaked face up from Jack's chest. 'What if it isn't, Jack? What if they catch me? What if…'

Jack silenced her gently. 'They won't get you…I swear on me life.'

* * *

Commodore James Norrington sighed as he walked through Port Royale. The presence of all these Pirates was beginning to get on his nerves. They had been infiltrating their way into pubs, inns and bordellos throughout their stay and had not ceased in their vulgar behavior. He quickly sidestepped a rather suspicious character and continued to walk, not looking back out of fear of being spat at by the vagrant.

The Commodore stopped in front of a small shop, noticing his fiancée Lucinda inside. He had come to find her and possibly spend an evening with her dining in one of Port Royale's five star restaurants. She turned around with a smile and waved slightly at her partner.

James watched her through the window and suddenly found something rater interesting-not _inside _the shop, but on the window. James studied it briefly and read the text under his breath.

_WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.  
Handsome reward for whomever finds this fiend, man woman or child.  
__This fiend is wanted for the heinous crime of murder without intent of provocation.  
__If seen, report to local authorities immediately. _

He recognised the photograph, but from where he was not sure. Perhaps she was a maid at the Manor or just someone he had come across during his travels. Either way, he did not take kindly to possibly having someone of that nature residing in _his_ Port Royale. James smiled as Lucinda made her way out of the shop, a brown paper package tucked under her arm. She noticed James studying the poster and furrowed her brown.

'What is that?' she asked, she too inspecting the paper.

'Nothing, dear.' James replied in a tone of fake reassurance. 'Just another escaped prisoner.'

Lucinda nodded and made her way back to their home. Before she noticed, James took the poser from the window and folded it carefully, placing it in the pocket of his navy-blue jacket.

_(A/N: Well, that's chapter three. I thought I'd throw another Love Triangle into this one too (Jeez, I wonder who it is between) I love writing Love Triangles, they make a great base for a story. Once again, I must apologize for the slow update, but I have been busy with school exams etc. The school holidays are coming up soon so I shall take some more time to write then. But for now, this should tide you over (I hope). Thanks and please review.) _


	4. Jack's Plea

_Okay, just a warning: This chapter has elements of drug use in it. I am not completely sure if this certain drug will do this to people, but just give me the benefit of the doubt. Thanks. AND this is the only chapter with said drugs in it…I am not a drug fanatic or anything, just thought it might provide an interesting twist to the story. By the way, I do not condone drug use in anyway. So kids, don't try this at home... or anywhere. _

CHAPTER FOUR

_Jack's Plea. _

'James, I am not sure what it is you are saying.' Governor Swann commented as the two men sat in the library of Swann Manor. 'Are you indeed saying that this woman resides in my home at this moment?'

'Yes!' Commodore Norrington said, finally glad that the old man had understood what it was he had been trying to tell him for almost forty-five minutes. 'I knew I had seen this wench somewhere and this is where! You must dispose of her immediately!'

The Governor sighed and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He had been through this with Jack Sparrow and now he was to repeat it once more? Wetherby did not enjoy deporting people from Port Royal and did not wish to make a regular practice of it. Besides, Jack Sparrow had indeed been the one who had saved his daughter on several occasions. Did Port Royal not owe him something at least? Obviously, according to the good Commodore, the answer was "No.".

'For all we know this may not be her.' The Governor said. 'She may have a…twin.'  
Wetherby knew it was a futile exercise to try and talk Commodore James Norrington out of doing something, but he did not fancy having to deal with the repercussions of taking something away from Captain Jack Sparrow.

James surveyed him, a strange look in his eyes. 'I doubt that very much, governor.'

* * *

'Faye,' Jack pleaded, his face pressed up against the wooden door. '_Please,_ let me in.' 

All Jack was greeted with was what sounded like something made from glass being pelted at the door. The pirate stood back, even though the glass could not come and hit him through the door. He had not said anything to offend Faye, but it seemed she needed somewhere to vent her anger and since Jack was there, he was having unwarranted insults thrown his way.

'Faye!' Jack was now screaming through the door. 'Le' me in or I swear I will bloody break this 'ere door down!'

Of course, Jack knew that he did not have the mindset or strength to break a solid oak door with his bare hands.

'Why should I?' Faye's voice came through the door. She was obviously past the stage of crying and now in a minor state of hyperventilation. Jack could hear he sharp, shallow intermittent breaths as she spoke. 'This is your entire fault! If you hadn't convinced me that I could have a better life it wouldn't be like this!'

Jack sighed and leant his head against the door. It was hopeless. He had dealt with irrational women before, but he had never seen this side of Faye, let alone even knew it existed. He had always known her as being sweet tempered and kind, not a ravenous lunatic as she was behaving now.

'All righ', I accep' full responsibili'y for this, now will you let me in?' Jack once again thought he might try a different technique. He had been trying to gain access into the room for just shy of an hour and so far had been called a pig, a rat, a rat-faced pig and an entire dictionary full of other miscellaneous insults too explicit to repeat.

Silence. Jack often thought of silence as golden, but at the moment he had no idea what to think. Slowly, he tried his best to look through the keyhole; alas there was nothing but blackness. As if in slow motion, Jack heard the handle turn on the door. He stood to his full height, giving up on the keyhole. Jack saw Faye's tear stricken face as she opened the door. Jack did not speak, he just looked at her. Her pupils were constricted and she did not seem to be even with him. It was as if her body was there, but she had left her mind behind somewhere else.

As Jack entered further into the room he still did not speak. An overwhelming scent overcame him. The smell was familiar, but he could not quite place it. There was a light smoky haze in the room, gathering around the roof like one large cloud. Faye just stood at the door and tried to close it, but without luck. Her hands kept slipping off the handle as soon as she grasped it.

Jack ignored it and continued to walk around the room searching for the source of the smell. It was not exactly an unpleasant smell, but quite sweet and pungent. Finally, Jack went to the side of the bed and found a side table. What looked like a rolled up piece of paper sat slightly crumpled on the surface, but it was not the paper that worried him, but what was inside the paper. Jack picked it up and smelt it, it was the same smell that as filling the room at that very moment. He now knew exactly what it was. Opium.

'Wha' is this?' Jack asked, holding up the drug for Faye to see. She seemed to have difficulty focusing on it, but she finally laid eyes on what Jack was holding.

'I don't know.' She replied lamely. It was obvious that she did know, but not willing to tell Jack the truth.

'Yer do know an' you are gonna tell me where yer got it.' Jack placed the drug down and looked at Faye directly, his gaze never wavering.

Faye walked clumsily over to Jack, studying each step she took carefully out of fear of falling on her face. 'From Ana, she said it would make me feel better.' Her voice was innocent and quiet like a child being punished.

'And 'as it worked?' Jack asked. The pirate had of course smoked this drug at some time in his life and knew the euphoria it caused, it was a pleasant sensation for a while, but after it wore off everything was back to normal.

Faye nodded and looked at the drug once more, she was tempted to pick it up and smoke it again, but Jack stubbed it out on the mahogany wood of the bedside table. It scalded the surface, but obviously he did not care.

Before Faye knew it, Jack was out of the room and quickly making his way down the staircase until Elizabeth stopped him at the foot of the stairs.

'What's wrong, Jack?' she asked, obviously seeing the frustration and anger on his face.

'Have yer seen Anamaria?' Jack asked in return, ignoring her question.

'Yes,' Elizabeth replied, 'She was down at the docks last time I saw her, but why-.'

Elizabeth could not finish her question because Jack was gone, running as quickly as he could down towards the docks. He saw Anamaria some thirty feet away and continued to run. Finally he stopped in front of her, skidding slightly on the gravel before the docks.

'What were ya thinkin'!' Jack yelled at her, anger falling on his each and every word.

Anamaria turned around slowly, looking at Jack. 'What are you talking about?'

'What did you give 'er!' Jack demanded. 'What did yer give Faye?'

Anamaria sighed. Obviously Faye had told Jack what she had done. 'I was only trying to help her, Jack.' Anamaria insisted. 'She said she was feeling down so I gave her something for it.'

'So you gave her a drug!' Jack's voice was still loud and people around them began to stare, mothers steered their children away while others just hurried on in the opposite direction. 'You could 'have jus' talked to 'er about it.'

Anamaria scoffed. 'That's rich coming from you the man who drowns his sorrows in a bottle of rum every time his life gets messed up!'

Jack sighed and ignored the comment. Come to think, he had not had any rum in quite a while and for some reason he felt better without it. He no longer had the awful smell on his breath and his mind was free…well as free as it could be.

Without another word to Anamaria, Jack turned on his heel and continued to walk, back to the Manor and all the problems that awaited him there.

* * *

Anamaria watched Jack walk away from her. What had she done? She should have just stayed out of Faye and Jack's problems. But, as usual, she had to intervene somehow. Ana sighed and sat down on the dock, her toes just touching the cool Caribbean water. The memory of Faye coming for help slowly came back to her mind. 

_Anamaria walked slowly through the streets of Port Royale, her hair being pushed back by the cool breeze coming off the horizon. As she walked, thoughts plagued her mind. Thoughts of Jack Sparrow, Faye and of course the poster she had found but a few days ago. Ana could not believe it. Faye seemed like such a gentle and kind person – not the sort to go off and kill a man. Anamaria had always thought he possessed a rather good judge of character, but obviously she was wrong. _

_As she approached the dock, she smiled. She and the rest of the crew of the _Pearl_ had been staying on the ship until Jack was ready to leave, but for some reason it seemed as if he was settled with his new life and new love. It seemed, as Ana had discussed with Joshamee Gibbs one afternoon, that Jack had no need for the _Black Pearl_ and the friends that came with it. _

_Coming closer to the ship, Ana spotted someone standing on the dock, right in front of the ship. Unsure of whom it was, Ana walked closer. It was Faye. She stood there, her hair slightly disheveled. She looked extremely tired and out of sorts. She wasn't the usual well-dressed, well-groomed and beautiful woman Anamaria had met. _

_As soon as Faye had caught sight of Anamaria coming toward her, she walked closer to her. The two women hadn't spoken much and this was mostly the fault of Anamaria and her jealousy. _

'_I need help.' Faye said simply and directly to Anamaria when the two women were finally within two feet of eachother. _

_Ana was puzzled, but lead Faye back to the ship calling for Gibbs to drop down the ramp for them to walk on. _

_Gibbs obliged and within seconds Faye and Ana were on the deck of the _Black Pearl. _Anamaria did not acknowledge anyone else in the crew and instead led Faye downstairs into her private quarters. Being the only female on the ship, Anamaria had been granted a private sleeping place. She was comfortable around the men and was willing to share a room with them, but when the private room was offered the idea was impossible to resist. _

'_What is it you need help with?' Ana asked, closing the oak door softly behind them. She pulled up a small wooden chest and sat on it, motioning for Faye to take the only chair in the room. _

_Suddenly, without warning, Faye buried her face in her hand and began to sob quietly, her shoulders shaking with every sound. Anamaria reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled supportively even though she knew that Faye couldn't see it. _

'_I don't know what's wrong with me.' Faye said as she raised her head and wiped her eyes slowly. 'Ever since you found that poster my whole life has collapsed around me. I had forgotten about that – well, forgotten as much as I could considering what I did – but now it's all come back. Everywhere I go I see his dead face and glazed eyes. In my dreams. I wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and Jack ends up having to cradle me in his arms until I fall asleep again. Ii just don't know who to turn to anymore.' _

_Anamaria felt a flash of jealousy as Faye mentioned Jack's name. She should be the one in Jack's arms. He had known Anamaria for almost a decade, but for some reason Faye was the one he chose. She tried her best to place these feeling aside and turned her attention back to the woman in front of her. _

'_I think I have just the thing.' Anamaria sat up off the chest and opened it. An overwhelming mixture of smells surrounded them as she lifted the lid. Smells of wormwood, aniseed and other exotic herbs and concoctions. _

_Faye stared at the contents of the chest in amazement. She had always had an interest in herbal medicine, but never knew that there were some many alternatives. Ana rummaged through the contents for a few moments and resurfaced with a small paper bag. She handed it to Faye who smiled appreciatively and buried her nose in the package smelling the mixture. _

'_Oh! I almost forgot.' Anamaria went back to the chest and pulled out several sheets on old yellow parchment and handed it to Faye. 'Roll the leaves in this and light it…I'm guessing you know what to do next.' _

_Faye nodded and placed the parchment in her pocket and made her way out of the room, smiling at Ana on the way out. 'Thankyou.' She said simply and left the ship. _

* * *

What he was doing, Jack decided, demanded courage and integrity. The courage he had…the integrity he was not so sure about. The Pirate sighed and slowly knocked on the door. A voice came from the inside – an extremely nasal British voice.  
'Come in.' it said from behind the door. Jack could hear the sound of a quill on paper. He sighed and slowly opened the door, bracing himself for the abuse and possible ridicule to follow. 

Commodore Norrington sat at his desk hunched over what looked like a map. Jack could not see what part of the world it depicted from his angle, but guessed it was somewhere in Asia.

'Well, aren't you going to speak?' Norrington asked, finally looking up. A look of shock came across his face as he noticed whom it was standing in front of him. His tone changed immediately. 'What is it _now_, Sparrow? Short on rum I suppose?'

Jack ignored the comment and proceeded to walk further into the room. He placed his hands on the Commodore's desk and stared him in the eyes. 'I s'pose you 'ave seen the poster?'

'I have.' The Commodore flinched as Jack's hands came in contact with the mahogany wood of his desk. 'I suppose you are here to ask me to spare her?'

He was right. Jack had come to the office with every intention of explaining Faye's circumstances, but now that Norrington had mentioned it, the idea seemed absurd. Nevertheless, Jack was determined.

'I'll leave tha' fer you ter decide.' Jack said cryptically and pulled up a seat and sat down, despite the disgusted look on James' face.

'What would you like to say?' James asked, not even looking at Jack and instead studying the map before him.

Jack opened his mouth and began to speak. He told Norrington of the events in Singapore and how awfully Faye had been treated by her master. Every now and then, between sentences, Jack would look up at Norrington, but the Commodore was not looking at him. This unnerved Jack. He hated it when people refused to look at him when he was trying to speak to them. Jack pressed on despite the rudeness of the man before him. When he was finished he sat back in the seat, waiting for a response.

'Are you finished?' Norrington asked, finally looking at Jack for the first time.

'Aye.' Jack replied.

'Well, I don't know what you expect me to do with the information. I assume that you are aware that this will not change the fact that Ms…' he consulted the paper beside him. '_Burrows_, is a wanted criminal.'

Jack sighed. 'I don't expect that to happen, but I 'oped tha' maybe if yer un'erstood 'er circumstances you may be a bit more sympathe'ic.'

'Well, _Mr. Sparrow_, I am sorry to say that sympathy has never been a particularly strong trait of mine.' The Commodore replied succinctly, hatred falling on the words "_Mr. Sparrow_".

Jack sighed and stood from the chair. He did not say a word to the Commodore and knew that he was expecting Jack to say something like "_Thankyou for your time_", but under no circumstances was Jack going to thank a man who would not ever look at him.

* * *

'What?' 

'What do you mean "what"? It's perfectly simple.'

'But still…_what_!'  
'I _said_ it's perfectly simple.'

'I doesn' soun' simple.' Jack said to Gibbs as they sat on the stairs leading to the door of Swann Manor. 'Faking someone's death is harder than it sounds.'

'And you'd know this, Jack? Have you e'er tried to fake ya death?' Gibbs took a swig from the flask and offered some to Jack who took it thankfully.

'But _still._' Jack said, swallowing the liquid. 'How are even s'posed ter go abou' it?'

'Well, I'm yet to come up with that part yet…but the idea is there.' Gibbs took the flask back before Jack could drink any more of his precious rum.

'Well, you can be the one ter tell 'er _your_ idea.' Jack said. 'Then, if it doesn' work she can blame you not me.'

'That's fine by me.' Joshamee said standing up and leaving Jack on the steps. 'I'll think it over tonight and get back to ya in the mornin'.'

Jack nodded and waved goodbye to his friend and made his way back inside the manor. It was a risky idea, faking someone's death. He had heard stories where people had tried to fake their death but ended up dead instead. A cold shiver ran over his skin as he thought of the possibility that the plan may not work, but it was their only chance to get away from both their deaths. Jack was still a wanted man in many places and he would not let himself nor Faye get caught.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the slow update. I have been so, so, so busy. This chapter was fun to write...I enjoyed it and hope you did too. Will_ _hopefully have the next one up soon.  
xxx_


	5. Just Like Shakespeare

CHAPTER FIVE

_Just Like Shakespeare_

The variety of smells assaulted his senses as he walked into the shop. Jack looked up at the walls and noticed multiple jars full of different concoctions labelled with extremely odd names. Gibbs continued to poke around the store, trying his best to look into dusty jars without having to touch them or their contents. Giving up on temptation, Joshamee reached out and dusted off a jar, but before it was too late it crashed to the ground with the sound of breaking glass not far behind it.

Jack turned around and stared at his friend, rolling his kohl-rimmed eyes. 'An' o'course, 'e 'as ter break somethin'.' Jack said with a slight smile.

The pirate swaggered over to Gibbs, helping him pick up the broken glass. The two of them placed it back on the table and looked down. There was a snake on the floor, presumably what was once the contents of the jar. Jack quickly kicked it with his foot causing it to slide back under the table and out of sight.

Just as Jack had moved the snake, the presumed owner of the strange store appeared behind the counter. It was a man, a rather thin man actually. He had long grey beard and wore half-moon spectacles that rested on his crooked nose. He studied the two men and a small smile played on his thin lips.

'Yes?' he asked. His voice was thin and seemed as if he could lose it at any moment. He approached them both and seemed to be putting all of his weight on the thin wooden cane in his right hand. 'Can I help you, gentlemen?'

Jack was slightly stunned. He could not remember the last time someone had called him a gentleman. He looked at Gibbs who shrugged – a great help as always. The two men inched closer to the old man. He looked as if he may fall to the floor if Jack so much as blew some air on him.

'Aye.' Jack said, holding his index fingers up for emphasis. He walked closer to the man and was tempted to breathe on his just to see if he did keel over, but he resisted temptation and continued with his request. 'We need…somethin'.'

It was difficult to pinpoint what they actually needed. Jack and Gibbs hadn't really given any thoughts as to what they were looking for. They didn't really want to explain their situation to this strange man either out of fear of being reported to Commodore Norrington or even the Governor. Then again this old man looked like he couldn't even stand on his own feet without assistance. He couldn't really post any threat to the duo afterall.

'What kind of something are you after?' the old man inquired, stroking his long beard. He looked more like a character from one of Elizabeth's novels as oppose to a real person.

'Let me handle this.' Gibbs interjected, stepping between the elderly man and his captain. Joshamee told the man of their plan to fake Faye's death and he seemed extremely interested asking a lot of questions. Gibbs stressed for him not to tell anyone about it. The old man agreed and the two of them shook hands -sealing the deal.

The man went behind a thick curtain for a few moments and reappeared with a small glass bottle of a strange clear liquid. Jack quirked a brow but before he could inquire further the old man spoke.

'This should do the trick. It'll fake death well, she'll still breathe though.' He said, dexterously throwing the small bottle to Jack who, unprepared, fumbled the prize and almost dropped it to the ground. The pirate breathed a sigh of relief as he found the bottle securely in his left hand.

'Thanks.' Jack said extremely quickly. He took a few gold coins from the pouch on his waist and handed them to the man. The owner smiled appreciatively, most-likely planning to hire a woman for the evening with that same money.

'Let's get outta 'ere…' Jack muttered to Gibbs, who nodded fervently in agreeance. The two men mumbled goodbyes to the old man and walked out of the strange store.

Once on the street, Jack held the liquid up to the sun to see it more clearly. That shop had been so dark that it was impossible to see anything. And the dust, well, it was safe to say that that place had not been cleaned in some time.

The liquid caught the light and glistened. Anyone would think that it was just a phial of water. Jack took the cork out of the top with a loud "pop" and smelt it. Again, no scent whatsoever. Jack wondered if the man had just sold them water, but doubted it and anyway, if he had, Jack would know sooner or later.

* * *

Faye sighed as she rolled over. Her head was sore. She shielded her eyes from thew light coming through the window and sighed yet again. What had happened yesterday? It mustn't have been too good because from what Faye could see, whatever had happened had left the room is quite a mess.

The room smelt strange, but for some reason the smell was familiar to Faye. She sighed and groaned as a sharp pain began in her head. To accompany the pain, a knock at the door was heard.

'What?' Faye asked quietly, laying her head back down on the pillow.

The door opened.  
It was Jack.

'Jack…'Faye said and sat up slowly, holding her head. 'What are you doing here?'

Jack did not say anything and instead just crossed the room to sit on the bed beside Faye. He took something from his pocket. A bottle. The liquid caught the light as Jack handed it to her.

'Drink it.' The pirate said simply. 'It'll make you sleep.'

'Jack, I don't want to sleep.' Faye replied a curious look in her eyes. _What was he doing? _

'Don't worry.' Jack said, brushing some hair from Faye's eyes. 'It'll be fine. Just drink it.'

Faye, submitting to defeat and scepticism, drank the liquid slowly. She did not feel tired in the slightest. Strange.  
'I love you.' Jack whispered, kissing her softly and walking out of the room, closing the door soundlessly.

The pirate stood with his back to the wall outside the room. It was done and he hoped that it had worked. He exhaled deeply and began walking down the stairs when Elizabeth stopped him in his tracks.

'Jack!' she exclaimed. 'I've been looking for you everywhere!'

'What? Why?' he asked and continued to walk down the stairs.

'There's been an accident.' Elizabeth replied. 'Someone's asking for you.'

'Who?' Jack thought this strange. Why would someone ask for _him_?

'I don't know their name.' Elizabeth informed him. 'But you'd better hurry up.'

Before Jack could protest, Elizabeth was off and running out of the manor. Sighing, Jack ran and followed her. She was running awfully fast considering the size of what she was wearing. Finally the two came to the scene of the accident. It was not pretty. A horse a carriage had collided with an oncoming pedestrian. The carriage, its horse and passengers were all fine. It was the pedestrian everyone seemed worried about.

Jack kept Elizabeth back and edged closer himself. He grimaced. The pedestrian had someone beside her. A child, well more of a teenager of about fourteen years of age. The young girl looked at Jack, panic in her eyes. Jack made his way over to her and knelt down. There were about thirty people forming a circle around the accident. Jack just felt like screaming at them all to go away.

'What 'appened?' Jack asked, looking at the woman on the ground. From all Jack could tell she was as good as dead.

'I-I don't know…' The girl replied, breaking out into tears.

Jack assumed that the woman on the ground was the girl's mother. He turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Can you 'ear me?' he asked, looking at her.

The victim's eyes opened and Jack was shocked. He recognised her immediately. It almost took his own breath away.

'Take care of her.' The woman said, turning her eyes to her daughter. Jack nodded as her last breath faded from her lungs.

* * *

'Who was she?' Irving asked Jack as the two men sat down outside the manor. Irving pushed some sandy hair from his eyes and looked at Jack curiously.

'It doesn't matter." Jack replied placing his head in his hands and sighing deeply. He suddenly remembered something. Faye. He cursed and stood up quickly, grabbing Irving a running inside.

'What! Jack!' Irving said as the two ran up the stairs. 'What are you doing?'

'I need your help with somethin'.' Jack said as he led him to Faye's room.

Jack opened the door and there she was. Lying there in the same position he had left her in. Jack quickly walked over to her and placed his hand up to her mouth.

His blood ran cold.

Why could he not feel her breathe?

He watched her chest. It did not rise and did not fall.

His heart skipped.

His hands shaking, Jack placed a palm up to Faye's forehead.

Stone cold.

His head began to spin and he felt tears come to his eyes. What had happened? Suddenly, letting rage take over, Jack kicked the side of the bed hard, hearing the wood crack.

Irving had been standing there the whole time. Just watching.

'Jack,' he said, walking closer. 'Is everything all right?'

Jack spun around on his heel and look Irving in the eyes. 'No! Everything's not bloody all right! She's dead! This wasn't supposed to happen…' Jack trailed off and sunk down the floor, leaning against the bed, his head in his hands.

Irving paled and walked backwards to the door. He called someone's name and Elizabeth immediately ran up to the room. She stopped at the sight of Jack and then saw Faye. Elizabeth, in one stride, was at Jack's side. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled the pirate close. She muttered a few phrases and sighed, tears falling from her eyes. How had this happened?

'I didn' mean for this ter 'appen.' Jack said, looking up. 'I just wanted us to be free from all o' this…'

Elizabeth looked at him, sorrow in her eyes. 'I know, Jack, but it doesn't always work out that way. It's just like Shakespeare, in a way.'

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Shakes-what?'

Elizabeth hugged Jack to her again and sighed. 'Nevermind.'

* * *

Anamaria looked at the young girl and smiled. 'What's your name?' she asked, looking at her curiously.

'Ellen.' She replied quietly. Obviously the loss of her mother had come as quite an extreme shock.

'I'm Anamaria.' Ana said as they continued to walk. 'So, how did your mother know Jack?'

'It's a long story…' Ellen replied, tucking some blonde hair behind her ears.

'Well, we have a long time.' Ana encouraged with a smile. 'In fact, we have all the time in the world.'

'I'd rather not talk about it now.' Ellen said with finality. She walked a few paces ahead of Anamaria and would continue to do so until they reached the manor.

Ana sighed and looked out onto the water beside her. She wondered who the girl was and how she was related to Jack. Perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps she was just a friend of his in need of help or some kind of assistance. The wind blew and pushed her hair in front of her eyes. Anamaria brushed it back and continued to walk, hoping all of these secrets would reveal themselves sooner rather than later. She was not one for surprises. In fact, she never had been. She hated the thought of not knowing what was around the corner or what was coming next. For some reason, Ana knew that the next chapter in all their lives had already started.

_(Dun, dun, dun! So, who's the girl, eh? Sorry about killing off Faye,I was so sad when I did that, but it was essential to the plot. Hope you all forgive me. A million hugs and apologies for taking so long to update. All my love, Emily.) _


End file.
